The rain was pelting softly on the palm leaves, the sound lulling me into calm when it struck me – the sense that I was no longer in 2022, but 1932 – the year Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor opened.

The spontaneous episode was unexpected but not unwelcomed. Looking out across the treetops from my balcony, I reasoned that the scene was one that has likely not changed much. Despite the city being famed for its temples, developments have been modest – which joyfully means no tall structures ruining the landscape. So with the rain slowing the pace for the day, it felt like the early days – extra sleepy.

Despite the city being a tourism hotspot, the